Three years ago the community of Melrose, MA was rocked by a child sex abuse scandal when a beloved community member pleaded guilty to 20 charges of sexual abuse. Since that time, the YMCA of Melrose, who has now merged with the Greater Lynn YMCA, and the community have been focused on training their community members in what to look for and how to prevent this situation from happening again.

On Wednesday, a community training was held to present the Darkness to Light program. “This training is not easy, but I hope you will find, as I did, that it’s worthwhile” said Melrose Mayor Robert J. Dolan.

The Melrose Family YMCA continues to train their staff in prevention. “It’s a priority for us,” said Diana Brennan, the Melrose Y Director. “We all have a stake in protecting children.”